Somalia quarantines citizen after travel with Ebola victim

Mogadishu (HOL) — Somalia’s Ministry of Health and Social Care has quarantined a Somali citizen who traveled with a person who later died of Ebola, although the citizen has not tested positive for the disease.

In a statement issued Oct. 12, the ministry said the citizen was placed in quarantine on Oct. 11 after authorities learned he had traveled with an Ebola victim.

The ministry said Somalia’s International Health Regulations office received an official notification about the citizen from its Ugandan counterpart on Oct. 10.

According to the statement, the citizen was among passengers on a flight from Uganda to Congo and had transited through Uganda. The ministry said he spent the night at a hotel at Entebbe Airport before boarding a flight to Mogadishu.

On Oct. 11, Somalia’s Immigration and Nationality Agency confirmed the citizen’s arrival at Mogadishu airport, where he underwent standard travel health screening procedures.

Authorities later discovered that he had traveled with a person who died from Ebola.

The ministry said the citizen was transferred to the quarantine facility at Forlanini Hospital as a precautionary measure to prevent possible spread and protect public health.

It stressed that the citizen has not been confirmed to have Ebola and is undergoing medical assessment and continuous monitoring.

The ministry urged the public to remain vigilant, avoid spreading unverified information and follow official health guidance.

Somalia recently began screening travelers arriving from African countries after Kenya confirmed an imported case of Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease.

Health Minister Dr. Ali Haji Adan said Thursday that medical teams had been deployed to airports to monitor passengers arriving from African countries, particularly after the confirmed case in neighboring Kenya.